Big Girls and Babies
Late 1984/early 1985, Son is photographed with Daughter's Cabbage Patch Kid Preemie and her Berjusa baby doll that resembled him.
Having been a doll collector for well over two decades and never having developed a true doll focus, my collection throughout the years has become quite eclectic. The inanimate people here range from a few antiques, several vintage, and countless modern representations in doll form.
Fast forward about 10 years from the previous picture, Son and Daughter (looking just like her daddy) pose in a not-too-full doll room.
During the mid-1990s my love for dolls representing babies resulted in the acquisition of several life-like infants and toddlers. Based on my children's ages at the time (10 and 17, as seen in the above photo) I could have been suffering from early borderline empty nest syndrome. Although the nest was not empty, the children were quite independent and were far from being babies. After my interest ensued for life-like baby dolls, a desire for artist dolls quickly followed. They found their way here, too. These groups of dolls vary in size from 5- to 40-inches tall.
There used to be a time when I said I would never sell my dolls, but time always brings about change. In 2011, after my son decided he would move back home and reclaim his bedroom, I found myself in a lack of doll space dilemma. During the four years that Son was away in college and the extra three or four he spent living in Atlanta after graduating, some 20 or so big babies migrated to his childhood room. Before his 2011 return, I was quite successful at selling most of those dolls. The ones I wanted to keep are now incorporated into the doll room or stored in one Rubbermaid bin.
After being back home for two and half years, Son moved to his own place this past April. On his final moving day before he left me with the same forlorn feeling I had when he left for college (my baby is gone... going again), he stated and instructed, "I'll be back in about two weeks to get the rest of my things. Don't fill the room up with dolls." (Yes, he is still and will always be my baby.)
After two months, I have not placed any dolls in what is still his room. Well, I did place a shipping box in the closet. The box contains something that will be shipped to someone later in the year, so that doesn't count. It's technically not a doll and it is only there temporarily.
Since moving, Son and my 8-year-old grand pup return home every two weeks, usually on a Saturday when Son does his own laundry, spends the night, and is served a full course Sunday breakfast in bed that I or my husband prepare, depending on whose Sunday it is to prepare it. (We, Husband and I, take turns cooking Sunday breakfast and often forget whose Sunday it is to prepare it. Him: "Don't you think you need to get up and make some noise with pots and pans?" Me: "No, I cooked breakfast last week; it's your turn. Remember, I cooked (whatever)?" Or, Me: "Who cooked last week?" Him: "Me!" whether factual or not.)
Above are three of my four, priceless one-of-a-kinds: My now 6-foot 3-inch son during a home-for-Christmas visit, approximately four years ago, posed with his "big" sister while her baby looked on.
Long story short, I am selling dolls again because there are just too many dolls in the doll room and I have no place else to put them. I am trying desperately to curtail my doll buying as well. Really, I am. Certainly I will have a few slips and falls off the wagon, but that is to be expected (like yesterday, but it wasn't a baby doll and she's not too big!). I do find it easier not to buy dolls when I focus on finding new homes for those that continue to require more space than others: big girls and babies.
My most recent eBay listings (among others) are:
...in four separate listings, Jasmine (at various stages of her baby life) by Waltraud Hanl, is being offered on eBay.
Angela, by Swiss artist Angela Sutter, is also currently available in one of my eBay auctions.
All above dolls have been featured in one of my books. The winning bidder will receive a copy of the page on which the doll(s) appear.
Here is a link to my current eBay listings, which are always accessible using the eBay widget on the sidebar of this blog.
Here's hoping these and the others I plan to list find new, loving homes soon. Space is desperately needed.
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